We all know what Ants in the Pants do and why they are so hard to get out and enjoy the picnic. We go out to a nice, shady spot and lay out a blanket with some good things to eat and drink. Then, we wave goodby to the blanket and go off for awhile to play ball or fish.
When we return we are thirsty and hungry so we sit down, lie back on one arm and get a cold drink. Just as we get close to relaxing or even snoozing a bit before lunch we feel an itch in the socks and pants. All of a sudden we realize that the ANTS discovered our plot to relax and came up with a devious plan to thwart it. We have, ANTS in the PANTS and they are determined to stay there no matter how hard we work to get them out so we can relax.
Getting down to real prayer and listening to God is similar. We sit down determined to focus on God and His word only to discover there are ANTS in our head. (I wish I could make that rhyme.) These ANTS are
Automatic
Negative
Thoughts
"Yikes, I forgot to call my Doctor and set up an appointment. That will not take a minute so i will call right now."
"Wow! I hope I can hit the golf ball straighter tomorrow. I am tired of hooking so much and buying all those new balls. I wonder why I am hooking. Ohm stop that and get back to business with God. OK Lord, I am going to really focus now and nothing is going to stop me. NOTHING!"
(A VOICE arises from deep within: "Who do you think you are kidding? You hypocrite. You are just trying to show off for God. You know that golf is more important than prayer. So stop acting like you are some kind of saint.")
Does this resonate with you? Man oh man I have encountered these kinds of voices in my head all my life when I tried to pray and meditate. But maybe I have learned a few things:
1. These voices are common to every Christian no matter how mature, spiritual or sinful.
2. The default condition of the brain is to fill any quiet time with defensiveness, old tapes, self condemnation and ANTS!
3. We cannot argue with these thoughts. The answer is Jesus not my arguments.
4. Every time one comes up simply thank God and turn toward Him. Use each interruption as an opportunity for positive thoughts instead of negative thoughts.
5. Do not allow the ANTS to stop your attempts to pray and meditate.
6. Resist the devil and he will flee!
7. Have fun!
Go to Sweeten Life for more assistance.
2 comments:
Good article. It illustrates why I write my prayers on my Mac. It's much easier to focus -- and for me, easier to listen to God.
Since coming to Seattle, I was blessed by a referral to the Ignatian Spirituality Center. Went in for an interview. As a result, I was teamed with a Lutheran pastor as my spiritual director. He's getting me directed into the Ignatian approach to communing with God.
The first time I tried it, I was astonished. Why? It was fun! Who knew? I connected Loyola with many things -- but never fun. I had many ideas about prayer, but fun was never included. Yes, I really had fun with Jesus for an hour and a half.
In a couple of months, I hope to report on prayer results on my blog site, http://leadings.squaresapce.com/
I'll keep you alerted through Facebook.
Jack Towe
Jack, it is great to hear from you. And, it is great to hear of your recent experience with a Spiritual Director. One of my friends here in Cinci leads those kinds of retreats. I am surprised that this is a recent experience for you. I thought you would have tasted it long before.
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